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Defects In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

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Defects in One’s Own Nature
Following the atrocities of World War II, William Golding believes “We have a disharmony in our natures. We cannot live together without injuring each other”. Golding’s understanding of human psychology is greatly impacted by his experiences during World War II. The progressive degeneration of civilization and order can be seen through the six hunts, Jack’s totalitarianism, Simon’s ability to see the beast inside of them and Piggy’s intelligence. In the allegorical novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding portrays that the deterioration of social order on the island can be traced back to defects in one’s own nature. Early on in the novel, Golding makes it clear that …show more content…
In chapter 1, Simon, Jack and Ralph find a piglet tangled in the creepers. They had a chance to kill the pig but they didn’t because by this point they are innocent and too scared to kill the pig. Jack is mentally unable to kill the pig. In chapter 3, Jack tracks a pig through the forest but it gets away. By tracking the pig but letting the pig get away it shows how he has some evil in him from birth. In chapter 4, Jack and his hunters are going out to kill the first pig. “ “i cut the pig's throat” said jack, proudly, and yet twitched as he said it” (Golding 75). Letting the boys be alone on the island is bring out the truth in them. Jacks unconcealed savagery is becoming revealed.”Golding believes that the evil nature of man is curbed only when he is under discipline. Thus Jack's inherent evil nature is repressed by the disciplined school life and he hesitates for a moment to kill the pig that had been trapped and has managed to run away” (Alnajm 2015). In chapter 8, a mother sow is brutally slaughtered. The boys are killing this pig in a sophomoric manner. Golding wants to portray how men are evil and how they’ve completely lost their morals. In chapter 9, “The beast”/ Simon is killed on the beach. This is the first human kill the boys have committed. The boys accidentally killed Simon because they thought he was the beast. During the dance the boys were in this mentality so they didn’t even

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